Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III. The Lighter Gymnastics. In all systems alike the old form of heavy gymnastics is dead. The heavy iron dumb-bells lie unused in a corner. The lifting of heavy weights is no longer the mark of an athlete. The attainment of great strength is useful at times. A strong, heavy, slow-motioned cart horse has his place as well as the more supple trotter, though the former is hardly considered so valuable. But we are not all needed in the capacity of piano movers. We find in daily life that quick, supple muscles are of more use than the hard muscle of the typical strong man. Exercises with heavy weights will develop power to a certain extent in certain people who are built for it, but they will not develop even strength so quickly as will light exercise, with light apparatus or without any. Heavy exercises are now considered injurious and incompatible with longevity. With heavy exercises there is greater liability to strain, which may last a lifetime. A man who aims for comparative softness and great flexibility of muscle, can summon great strength when it is needed, and he will have endurance also. There are various systems of light gymnastics which still use gymnastic apparatus, either for solitary workers or for classes, but they all involve lighter and more gradual rmiscle work than formerly. More use is made of light wooden dumbbells, bar-bells, wands and light clubs. This use is based on former systems of calisthenics which were originally considered only for women, but which have now been changed so as to be thought healthful meat for strong men. This kind of apparatus is most suitable for class work. The German Turners happily combine both light and heavier apparatus into their interesting system of drill with the best results, and by methods which keep the interest fu...